South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb)
is urging schools and children’s groups to register their interest
to take part in an international CPR awareness drive taking place
in October.

The Trust is looking for local schools and groups to take part
in the Europe-wide initiative, Restart a Heart. As part of Restart
a Heart Day on Tuesday 18 October, SECAmb is working with its own
staff and volunteers to provide groups with a trainer and all the
equipment required to demonstrate CPR for free during the week of
12-18 October.

SECAmb is also keen to hear from any other potential volunteers
from across the NHS including hospital clinicians.

To date some 70 people have volunteered to help deliver the
training and 38 groups – equating to more than 3000 children will
learn CPR.

More than 30,000 people suffer cardiac arrests outside of
hospital in the UK every year. If this happens in front of a
bystander who starts CPR immediately before the arrival of the
ambulance, the patient’s chances of survival double.

Today, if someone suffers a cardiac arrest out of hospital in
the UK, they sadly have less than a one in ten chance of
surviving.

By linking with the Resuscitation Council’s European Restart a
Heart Day and the British Heart Foundation, SECAmb will provide
hundreds of young people with the skills they need to help save a
life.

SECAmb’s Restart a Heart co-ordinator and Commercial Training
Manager Emma Ray said: “We’re delighted to be taking part in this
initiative as a Trust for the first time. We’re focusing our
attention on delivering training to schools and young people this
year. We were keen to target young people as they are a vital group
we need to teach to ensure people gain a life skill and the
confidence to act quickly to help someone in cardiac arrest.”

Anyone interested in finding out more for their school or group
should please contact emma.ray@secamb.nhs.uk or
you’re their local Community First Responder group.